So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, Ephesians 5:26
Many in the church know we are in the 40 days between the Resurrection and the ascension. We also have learned that the number 40 is one that speaks of trial or testing. But in the Hebrew it goes much deeper, especially since Hebrew is Alpha-numeric. Every letter also has a corresponding number and picture. In this case the number 40 is the letter Mem which is the symbol of water and transformation. It is written in two forms open- the Word revealed, closed- the Word Concealed the Meshiach/Messiah. It also is a symbol of the womb, a birthing.
Knowing these teachings we can see that these 40 days Jesus used as a time to prepare His disciples for a transformation. A time for when He wouldn’t be there with them anymore. A time when He was teaching them the importance of the Word. To teach the importance of reading and knowing the Word, Rabbi’s tell a story about a fish and a fox. A fish was swimming around quickly when he swam close to shore and saw a fox standing on it. The fox asked the fish, “why are you swimming around so fast?” The fish answered, “there are fishermen trying to catch me.” The fox pretending to be concerned said, “Why don’t you come on shore and I will protect you.” But the fish replied, “You silly fox, I will not, in the water I can get away, but out of the water I will surely die.”
That’s true for us spiritually too. The more we get into the water of the Word, the more we will see how beneficial it is to us. It helps us gain wisdom and direction, it encourages and protects us. It has everything we need. Let’s use the balance of these 40 days to get into the Word and learn more about our Savior and Lord and how much He loves us, so that we can love and serve Him better.
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